GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Several victims of a bonfire explosion near Pulaski have filed civil lawsuits against the man who allegedly allowed a party and bonfire and the two teens who allegedly caused the explosion.
Benjamin Van Asten; Isaac Nelson and his parents; Brady McAllister and his father; and Brandon Brzeczkowski filed separate civil lawsuits against the same three defendants: Allan Eron, Samuel Armstong and Tyler Frisch.
Multiple people were injured when a partially filled drum of diesel and gasoline was tossed on to a fire at a home in the town of Maple Grove on Oct. 14, 2022, causing an explosion.
Although each plaintiff filed separate suits, the documents are substantially similar. All ask for unspecified monetary damages to cover medical bills and lost wages, and compensatory damages for pain and suffering. They are separate from a criminal case against Armstong.
Each civil suit states the plaintiffs were at Eron’s residence in Maple Grove for a bonfire. At about 11 p.m., the suits claim Armstrong and Frisch placed a 55-gallon drum containing diesel fuel and gasoline on the fire, causing an explosion and the subsequent injuries.
The suits make a series of claims outlining Eron’s alleged negligence:
- He knowingly permitted minors and underage persons to consume alcohol on his property;
- Though previous gatherings were without incident, he knew or should have known that adequate supervision of the minors and underage persons on his property was necessary, and he failed to provide adequate supervision;
- He failed to properly and safely apply or affix warning labels and content labels to the drums identifying them as containing the flammable liquid;
- He failed to properly store and keep safe the drums;
- He knew that the flammable liquid in the drums was being transferred to smaller containers and sprayed on the bonfire;
- He failed to warn the bonfire attendees of the contents of the drums;
- He failed to instruct the bonfire attendees of the dangerous properties of the drums;
- He failed to warn the bonfire attendees of the dangers of misuse of the flammable liquid near an open flame; and
- He was otherwise negligent.
The suits claim Armstrong’s and Frisch’s “negligence was a substantial factor in causing this bonfire explosion” and the injuries for each plaintiff.
While the names of the plaintiffs change in each suit, each summarize the claims the same way, such as this example:
“That as a result of the foregoing negligent acts of Defendants Allan J. Eron, Samuel J. Armstrong, and Tyler J. Frisch in causing this incident, the Plaintiff S. Brady D. McAllister sustained multiple injuries, suffered great pain of body and mind, incurred hospital and medical expenses, lost wages and other damages; that said Plaintiffs injuries are permanent in nature thereby causing the Plaintiff to suffer pain and disability in the future, incur hospital and medical expenses in the future, and sustain a future loss of earning capacity,” the suit states.
Once formally served, the defendants have 45 days to formally respond to the lawsuit. No hearings have been scheduled.
Armstrong, now 18, faces 13 charges in criminal court of injury by negligent use of an explosive. No trial date has been set. He returns to court Dec. 6 for a pre-trial conference.
Eron has not faced any criminal charges.
